Developing a Training Program

There are six major steps that need to be managed in developing a training program.

1. Identifying Training Needs

The training program should be beginning with the identification of organization need for such a program. The primary aim of training is to bring about suitable change in the individual so that he can be useful to the organization. Therefor training needs have to be related to organizations demands as well as individual requirements. In all such situation the organization will have to identify the training needs of its employees.

2. Defining Training Objectives

Training usually means skills training having fairly direct or immediate applicability. The objective of training differs according to the employees belonging to different levels of organization. The basic objective of training is to establish a match between man and his job. Thus training aims at improving knowledge and skills level and developing right attitude among employees in order to enable them to perform their present job effectively or to prepare them for a future assignment. However from the point of view of an organization, employee’s growth is a mean to organizational effectiveness.

3. Selecting Trainees

It is another important decision concerns the selection of trainees. For an organization providing the right training to the right people can help to create and maintain a well-trained and stable work force. While selecting trainee due attention should be given to employee needs and motivation, skill obsolesces and retaining requirements. Many companies have moved in the direction of training employees to have multiple skills called multi-skilling. In particular, multi-skilling is relevant where semi-autonomous or self-managed teams are utilized. Everyone is encouraged to learn all of the jobs of the team and employees are generally paid according to the number of skill that they have developed.

4. Determining the Training contents and choosing training methods.

Training objectives guide the training curriculum. The contents will very according to the type of the training and the specific requirement of the trainees. The type of employees training method best suited to a specific organization depends upon a number of factors, such as skills required for the job, qualification of candidate to be trained, kinds of operating problems confronted by the organization and the support of the higher management to the training program.

5. Training Budget

Training budget involves out flow of funds from the organization for which budget should be available. Formulating a training budget will be an interactive process with the other steps in developing skills training program. Budget constraints may limit the human resources manager’s alternatives and must therefore be considered during all phases of the development process.

6. Decision regarding Trainers

An effective training program cannot be developed if effective trainers are not available. Organisation has the option of using staff trainers or of seeking contract trainers out side or of doing both when available. Staff trainers- full time specialist on the organisation payroll or member selected to do part-time training. The key to success however is selecting the right individual and providing them with the tool thee need to be effective. Selecting good trainer is a difficult task.